KUALA LUMPUR: Temperatures flared in the Dewan Rakyat when Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was questioned on whether the Sedition Act, which Pakatan Harapan once said was draconian, will be reviewed.
Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) asked if the ministry would review the Act.
“The Sedition Act will be abolished completely. This was your stance previously. As legal practitioners, we could see the loopholes in the Sedition Act which the government can misuse, especially against those seen as going against the government’s interest,” he asked in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 11).
“Your friends had once called the archaic act the law of the jungle and draconian. Many friends, including Damansara (Gobind Singh Deo), can attest to this.
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“So now that you are the government, and to be fair to you, do you intend to review this Act to ensure no enforcement authorities can misuse it?” asked the opposition chief whip.
Saifuddin then reminded Takiyuddin that they sang the same tune as political allies in Pakatan Rakyat Barisan Alternative.
“We did our manifestos, we wrote the same sentence to abolish the Sedition Act,” he said.
He asked if Takiyuddin had attempted to abolish the Sedition Act during his cabinet stint as Perikatan Nasional’s Law Minister.
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Takiyuddin then said Perikatan had the intention to do so.
“We had the intention, but we did not have the opportunity to do so (because of the change of government),” he said while adding that it was not under the jurisdiction of the law minister.
Responding to that, Saifuddin said the ruling government also had the same intention.
“We also have the intention,” said Saifuddin.
Takiyuddin said the Opposition will abolish the Act when it comes to power. Saifuddin said he will pose the same question when Perikatan becomes the government.
Citing examples of statements by a Pakatan leader which touch on race, religion and royalty(3R), Takiyuddin asked if those statements cannot be deemed as dangerous and seditious. He also asked if there are double standards in the charges against certain quarters.
Saifuddin said the investigation papers on the matter involving the Pakatan leader have been referred to the Attorney General’s Chambers on July 7.
